The perfect ending to the Woodland Christian girls varsity basketball season fell heartbreakingly short Friday morning as they lost to Bret Harte 45-42 in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division V championship.

“I am just incredibly proud of the team for going as far as we have while folding Kieza Maldonado-Lemus into the mix and maximizing each girl’s talent,” said Cardinals head coach Shiloh Sorbello. “As a team, we can look back on this game as a super exciting championship. It’s one we wish we could have pulled out, but at the same time, it’s a great memory for all of us.

“I almost feel like there were several hundred Woodland Christian fans in the stands while half the high school was there. The administration treated today as an excused absence, so it was a great experience for our school and hopefully the city of Woodland, giving them something to cheer about this late in the season. We are all really grateful for all the support the community gave us.”

The Cardinals navigated their first trip to the section championship game after an undefeated Sierra Delta League season that earned them the No. 2 seed in the D5 bracket.

They kicked off the first round with a 70-19 win over No. 15 seed Aspire Langston Hughes Academy before taking down No. 7 seed Destiny Charter Academy 69-23 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals this past Tuesday, they defeated Argonaut 65-36.

The Cardinals’ opponents, however, were no strangers to the section finals, making their ninth appearance in the program’s history. In 2023, Bret Harte lost the section final but ended up winning the state tournament as the ultimate consolation prize.

The Cardinals pulled out to an early 10-4 lead thanks to three early baskets from sophomore Siena Sorbello. Selfless play was fully on display as they picked up six assists off their first seven makes to take a 15-9 lead. They’d extend the lead to 18-15 at the half.

“We played pretty good defense, and Bret Harte only allowed over 40 points a few times in 28 games, so they pry themselves on defense as well,” Sorbello said.

In the second half, the Cardinals mounted a 4-0 run to go up 22-15 before Bret Harte went on an 8-0 run to take a one-point lead 23-22. Basketball is a game of runs, and the Cardinals continued to prove it by ripping off a fantastic 10-0 run led by Maldonado-Lemus to go up 32-23.

“During that 10-0 run, we started the third quarter off strong,” Sorbello recalled. “Maldonado-Lemus had 7 points in the third. We had a bit of foul trouble, and it made us more three-point oriented than we would have been. That’s when they changed up to a triangle-and-two defense, causing us to sputter.”

Bret Hart responded with a 7-0 run of their own to end the third quarter. They continued their run into the fourth quarter, amassing 14 consecutive points with no answer from the Cardinals to take a 36-32 lead with just over six minutes left to play.

“Then they started knocking down shots,” Sorbello said. “Emma Russell and Maddie Kane on their team hit two 3s during that run, and those were backbreakers for us.”

Four agonizing minutes later, two combined baskets from both teams made it 38-34.

With time slipping away, Maldonado-Lemus drove to the basket and found sophomore Bailee Broward in the corner for a huge 3-pointer to cut the lead to just one at 38-37. Bret Harte immediately responded with a bucket to go back up by three points at 40-37.

On the next Cardinals possession, Ellie Sumner found Elena Ganyo cutting to the basket for a layup to make it 40-39. Following another three points from Bret Harte over their next two possessions, the Cardinals struck gold once again late in the game as Teagan Hayes drained an NBA-range 3-pointer to make it 43-42 with just a little over 9 seconds left.

Time, however, wasn’t on their side, and following a game-icing two points at the other end, the game ended 45-43.

“We called a timeout to get the ball back, but we just ran out of time,” Sorbello said. “I’m just really proud of the girls’ effort down the stretch while battling the emotions of losing a lead in that environment.

“Their defensive switch-up was pretty effective on us. This game was a learning experience for us as coaches. I’m sure everyone looks back and wishes they could have done something different. There is never a game where I don’t go back and wish I could change things. Thats the nature of sport.”

While the quest for a section championship is over, the season will continue for the Cardinals as they are set to compete in the CIF State Tournament, set to tip off Tuesday. The matchups and brackets will be announced on Sunday afternoon.

“The end of the season has been easier than last year,” Sorbello said. “The final four teams make the state tournament, and last year we lost in the semis, so it was a gut punch because we really wanted to make the section title game.

“For us, we know that we can make a run. We are still playing good basketball. Knowing we would play again doesn’t take the sting out this one, but we get back to work on Monday. In any event, this is bonus basketball. Our goal was the section title, and we didn’t get that, so let’s go see what we can do in the state tournament and see what happens.”